Ubuntu Studio 24.10 - Fresh install - WANTED: simple WORKING recorder

play-coolgames · January 25, 2025, 6:14pm

Desktop Environment (if applicable): Plasma X11
using Barrier across devices that add sound inputs at mixer.
Later there will be MIDI sources control on separate cpu /systems for generating audio
into the mixer as I become more proficient on Ubuntu Studio.

Problem Description: I was able to capture audio played by Firefox once with Recorder but not again.
I discovered it was a snap version 24.12.1 and removed it and deleted krecorder.conf and tried again.

Still failed.

I removed it and switched to Ubuntu version 23.08.3-2 install and it looked different and USB audio was gone.
I tried it and it was over driven and never worked.
Remove conf and installed snap version now that had same over driven sound.
Uninstalled that and looked for better reviewed simple audio recorder and found none.

I am exploring Ardour but it is a steep learning curve and not getting metered audio to record.
I expect the docs will help but just want to grab Firefox audio or mic on USB mixer to MP3.

Relevant System Information: System is HP Sprout with touch screen from 2014 with 1TB reformatted to start over after backup since 2014 and regular installs and upgrades.

Screenshots or Error Messages: No way to easily screen shot and demo the events

Notice reviews state neither version is working in latest release of various distros.

Screen shots are using rectangle frame in Discover

What I’ve Tried:
To find simple way to record to MP3 what I hear on the speakers connected to Yamaha AG03.
Ideally using the touch screen with Ubuntu Studio Plasma X11.

eeickmeyer · January 25, 2025, 8:26pm

Welcome to Ubuntu Discourse!

I’m running Ubuntu Studio 24.10 and just installed the krecorder snap. I had zero issues doing a recording. Granted, it was a bunch of background noise that my laptop mic picked-up, but it was a recording nonetheless.

I also did a recording directly from Firefox into Krecorder by manipulating the routing using Patchance (installed in Ubuntu Studio by default). Look at the screen shot below:

All I had to do was disconnect my “Built-In Audio Analog Stereo” capture from the ALSA plug and connect Firefox to it. It’s as simple a dragging a wire from the output to the input.

So, your proficiency isn’t with the operating system, but learning the individual applications. Give yourself time and experiment!

For simple audio recording, we have traditionally included Audacity for such purposes as it’s ubiquitous across operating systems. Also useful for doing simple edits of recordings.

That said, including krecorder (repo version) in the default Ubuntu Studio (can only do it for 25.04 and above at this point) does seem fairly trivial and sensible. I can make that happen.

tea-for-one · January 25, 2025, 11:56pm

Here’s a little CLI trick - might be useful one day
As Pipewire is now the default sound server, you can record audio with terminal commands
pw-cli list-objects | grep node.name
Hopefully, Firefox will appear in the list

Play a sound track from Firefox and enter in the terminal
pw-record --target Firefox ~/Downloads/recording.mp3
The file recording.mp3 will be in your Downloads folder

play-coolgames · January 26, 2025, 2:13am

Ok,
I was hanging after going from Audacity, Mixxx and OBS as well as two browsers so powered down and restarted and Ubuntu recorder 23.08.3-2 works.

The noise recorded last time was from using internal mic between two Mackie powered speakers not the AG03 USB mixer.

So current config is input mix on AG03 , inputs 2/3 separate Odroid N2
(pi spin off but faster and with headphone jack) VLC streaming internet radio.

Thanks for the feedback and Pipewire screen.
I’ll need to learn that world too as well as the cli in other answer.

play-coolgames · January 26, 2025, 4:10pm

Mixxx saw the ALC3241 but pulse audio didn’t then after I exited and restarted it was missing.
If it is found and used for Mixxx stream I can’t mute the audio while ICECAST2 stream continues.
Before fresh Studio 24.10 install it was possible I think.

Mixxx - no ALC3241 - Screenshot_20250126_103738

But log said it was there and that was the last time it worked.
I could try the Numark party Mix as stream target and then I can take off headphones
but then I can’t AutoDJ stream without the DJ Mixer plugged in.

346 Jan 26 09:57 soundconfig.xml

~/.mixxx$ cat soundconfig.xml 
<!DOCTYPE SoundManagerConfig>
<SoundManagerConfig deck_count="4" samplerate="48000" force_network_clock="0" latency="5" api="ALSA" sync_buffers="2">
 <SoundDevice alsaHwDevice="hw:0,0" portAudioIndex="0" name="HDA Intel PCH: ALC3241 Analog">
  <output index="0" channel_count="2" type="Master" channel="0"/>
 </SoundDevice>
</SoundManagerConfig>

I couldn’t mute it anywhere during streaming to Icecast2 that was delayed on same sound
system making it annoying to do anything else.

Now after 10:27 I can’t find the ALC3241 in GUI volumes though I saw it in past near 10:22.
It also disappeared at 09:42 log.3 but was configured in log.2 at 09:57 shown in above loaded xml.

346 Jan 26 09:57 soundconfig.xml

36K Jan 26 10:27 mixxx.log.1
72K Jan 26 10:22 mixxx.log.2
106K Jan 26 09:42 mixxx.log.3
359K Jan 25 20:36 mixxx.log.4

$ grep Intel mixxx.log* | grep ALC
mixxx.log.2:Debug [Main] SoundDevicePortAudio::open() "SoundDeviceId(HDA Intel PCH: ALC3241 Analog, hw:0,0, 0)"
mixxx.log.2:Debug [Main] Using "HDA Intel PCH: ALC3241 Analog (hw:0,0)" as output sound device clock reference
mixxx.log.4:Debug [Main] SoundDevicePortAudio::open() "SoundDeviceId(HDA Intel PCH: ALC3241 Analog, hw:0,0, 0)"
mixxx.log.4:Debug [Main] Using "HDA Intel PCH: ALC3241 Analog (hw:0,0)" as output sound device clock reference

$ aplay -l
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 0: ALC3241 Analog [ALC3241 Analog]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 7: HDMI 1 [HDMI 1]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 8: HDMI 2 [HDMI 2]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 3: AG06AG03 [AG06/AG03], device 0: USB Audio [USB Audio]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

Here is what I see first time using Patchance

And now Mixxx finds it

And I can MUTE it as I expected.

Mixxx - muted ALC3241 - Screenshot_20250126_113136

e

eeickmeyer · January 26, 2025, 4:25pm

Pulseaudio isn’t a thing on 24.10. It’s all handled by PipeWire.

play-coolgames · January 26, 2025, 4:36pm

We passed in my experiments.
How can I see the ALC3241 volume in Pipewire now in Studio 24.10 ?

eeickmeyer · January 26, 2025, 4:47pm

Sorry, that was confusing.

Pulseaudio Volume Control still works, as does the volume widget. PipeWire has a pulseaudio-compatible API so applications don’t know the difference.

play-coolgames · January 26, 2025, 4:55pm

Any suggestion why the device is missing then appears later in same login session ?
Would dmesg have clues ?

I will be trying to find something but going for a three hour drive with stream to Radiodroid Android app playing on car speakers.
The Icecast is in the radio-browser.info but is not fully configured to remain FOUND.
That is the next step to pursue if you have any experience in that step.

eeickmeyer · January 26, 2025, 5:01pm

No idea, I have no experience with that particular device. You seem to have an edge case.

I also have no experience with Icecast. FYI, this is going beyond the scope of your initial topic. Krecorder is now part of future Ubuntu Studio 25.04.

play-coolgames · January 26, 2025, 5:12pm

Idea is using Gemini to research and create MP3 for Mixxx to stream so still got an empty ogg to get back to which started this topic.
I may find krecorder is changing things so Mixxx stops working later.

Anyway I may start a new discussion as I experiment further.

I want to see the Pipewire patch if I can use the USB AG03 for krecord while Mixxx uses the ALC3241.

Later Rosegarden will be doing the MIDI sequencing with a little LMMS to boot.

I used jack and saw the patch but need to get with the times.
Avoiding the aplay, arecord and aconnect until last steps.